Friday Fill-ins

Graphic courtesy of Tonya!

And...here we go!

1. It's time for ____me to finish The White Queen and watch the last half of Vertigo_.

2. _Jail____; it's not a bad place for __prisoners___.

3. I must be ____sleepy_

4. ____My family_ is the best thing I have ever known.

5. My __motto___ is simply ____I am who I am and I am not going to change for no one_.

6. The last time I laughed really loudly was __earlier today during Big Brother___. 

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _Finishing The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory and finishing Vertigo____, tomorrow my plans include _Looking for a laptop and going to Richmond____ and Sunday, I want to _Catch up on my reviews and any reading that needs to get done____!

BLOG TOUR: WHEN SOMEONE YOU LOVE HAS CANCER: COMFORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT FOR CAREGIVERS AND LOVED ONES BY CECIL MURPHY

A Word from The Man Behind the Words

by Cecil Murphey

When Shirley walked in from the garage, she didn't have to say a word: I read the diagnosis in her eyes. I grabbed her and held her tightly for several seconds. When I released her, she didn't cry. The unshed tears glistened, but that was all.

I felt emotionally paralyzed and helpless, and I couldn't understand my reaction. After all, I was a professional. As a former pastor and volunteer hospital chaplain I had been around many cancer patients. I'd seen people at their lowest and most vulnerable. As a writing instructor, I helped one woman write her cancer-survival book. Shirley and I had been caregivers for Shirley's older sister for months before she died of colon cancer.

All of that happened before cancer became personal to me--before my wife learned she needed a mastectomy. To make it worse, Shirley was in the high-risk category because most of her blood relatives had died of some form of cancer. Years earlier, she had jokingly said, "In our family we grow things."

In the days after the diagnosis and before her surgery, I went to a local bookstore and to the public library. I found dozens of accounts, usually by women, about their battle and survival. I pushed aside the novels that ended in a person's death.

A few books contained medical or technical information. I searched online and garnered useful information--but I found nothing that spoke to me on how to cope with the possible loss of the person I loved most in this world.

Our story ends happily: Shirley has started her tenth year as a cancer survivor. Not only am I grateful, but I remember my pain and confusion during those days. That concerns me enough to reach out to others who also feel helpless as they watch a loved one face the serious diagnosis of cancer.

That's why I wrote When Someone You Love Has Cancer. I want to encourage relatives and friends and also to offer practical suggestions as they stay at the side of those they love.

The appendix offers specific things for them to do and not to do--and much of that information came about because of the way people reacted around us. It's a terrible situation for anyone to have cancer; it's a heavy burden for us who deeply love those with cancer.

Recently, the following blogs posted the entire When Someone You Love Has Cancer Blog Tour. Be sure to stop by these sites and leave your comments to try to win the $300 gift basket:

About the Book:     The World Health Organization reported that by the year 2010 cancer will be the number one killer worldwide. More than 12.4 million people in the world suffer from cancer. 7.6 million people are expected to die from some form of cancer. That's a lot of people, but the number of loved ones of cancer sufferers is far greater. What do they do when a special person in their life is diagnosed with this devastating disease? Murphey brings his experiences as a loved one and many years of wisdom gained from being a pastor and hospital chaplain to his newest book When Someone You Love Has Cancer: Comfort and Encouragement for Caregivers and Loved Ones (Harvest House Publishers). His honest I've-been-there admissions and practical helps are combined with artist Michal Sparks' soothing watercolor paintings.   Readers of When Someone You Love Has Cancer will receive: Inspiration to seek peace and understanding in their loved one's situation Help in learning the importance of active listening Guidance in exploring their own feelings of confusion and unrest Suggestions on how to handle anxiety and apprehension Honest answers to questions dealing with emotions, exhaustion, and helplessness Spirit-lifting thoughts for celebrating the gift of life in the midst of troubles Murphey explains why this is a much-needed book: "Most books about cancer address survivors. I want to speak to the mates, families, and friends who love those with cancer.  I offer a number of simple, practical things people can do for those with cancer."

Interview Questions  1.    The first sentence of your book reads, "I felt helpless." Tell us about that feeling.  Because her doctor put Shirley into the high-risk category, I felt helpless. To me, helpless means hating the situation, wanting to make it better, but admitting there was nothing I could do for her.  2.     On that same page you also write, "One thing welearned: God was with us and strengthened us through the many weeks of uncertainty and pain."  How did you get from feeling helpless to that assurance?  Shirley and I sat down one day and I put my arm around her. "The only way I know how I can handle this," I said, "is to talk about it." Shirley knows that's my way of working through puzzling issues. "Let's consider every possibility." If her surgeon decided she did not have breast cancer, how would we react? We talked of our reaction if he said, "There is a tumor and it's obviously benign. Finally, I was able to say, with tears in my eyes, "How do we react if he says the cancer is advanced and you have only a short time to live?" By the time we talked answered that question, I was crying. Shirley had tears in her eyes, but remained quite calm. "I'm ready to go whenever God wants to take me," she said. She is too honest not to have meant those words. As I searched her face, I saw calmness and peace. I held her tightly and we prayed together. After that I felt calm. Since then, one of the first things I do when I awaken is to thank God that Shirley and I have at least one more day together.  3.     When most people hear the word cancer applied to someone they love, they have strong emotional reactions. What are some of them? What was your reaction when your wife was diagnosed with breast cancer?    As a pastor, a volunteer chaplain, and a friend I've encountered virtually every emotional reaction. Some refuse to accept what they hear. Some go inward and are unable to talk. Others start making telephone calls to talk to friends.  Me? I went numb, absolutely numb. That was my old way of dealing with overwhelming emotions. I heard everything but I couldn't feel anything. It took me almost two weeks before I was able to feel--and to face the possibility that the person I loved most in the world might die.  4.    "What can I do for my loved one with cancer?" That's a good question for us to ask ourselves. How can we be supportive and helpful?  Many think they need to do big things; they don't. Express your concern and your love.   Be available to talk when the other person needs it--and be even more willing to be silent if your loved one doesn't want to talk. Don't ask what you can do; do what you see needs doing. To express loving support in your own way (and we all express love differently) is the best gift you can offer.  5.    Why do you urge people not to say, "I know exactly how you feel"?  No one knows how you feel. They may remember how they felt at a certain time. Even if they did know, what help is that to the person with cancer? It's like saying, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I know what it's like and I'm fine now."  Instead, focus on how the loved one feels. Let him or her tell you.   6.   Those with cancer suffer physically and spiritually. You mention God's silence as a form of spiritual suffering. They pray and don't seem to sense God. What can you do to help them?  God is sometimes silent but that doesn't mean God is absent. In my upcoming book, When God Turns off the Lights, I tell what it was like for me when God stopped communicating for about 18 months.  I didn't like it and I was angry. I didn't doubt God's existence, but I didn't understand the silence. I read Psalms and Lamentations in various translations. I prayed and I did everything I could, but nothing changed.  After a couple of months, I realized that I needed to accept the situation and wait for God to turn on the lights again. Each day I quoted Psalm 13:1: "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?" (NLT)  I learned many invaluable lessons about myself--and I could have learned them only in the darkness. When God turns off the lights (and the sounds) I finally realized that instead of God being angry, it was God's loving way to draw me closer.  7.     Guilt troubles many friends and loved ones of caregivers because they feel they failed or didn't do enough. What can you say to help them?  We probably fail our loved ones in some ways. No one is perfect. If you feel that kind of guilt, I suggest 3 things:  (1) Tell the loved one and ask forgiveness.   (2) Talk to God and ask God to forgive you and give you strength not to repeat your failures.  (3) Forgive yourself. And one way to do that is to say, "At the time, I thought I did the right thing. I was wrong and I forgive myself."  8.    Do you have some final words of wisdom for those giving care to a loved one with cancer?  Be available. You can't take away the cancer but you can alleviate the sense of aloneness. Don't ever try to explain the reason the person has cancer. We don't know the reason and even if we did, would it really help the other person?  Be careful about what you say. Too often visitors and friends speak from their own discomfort and forget about the pain of the one with cancer. Don't tell them about your cancer or other disease; don't tell them horror stories about others. Above all, don't give them false words of comfort. Be natural. Be yourself. Behave as loving as you can.     My Review: This book is an excellent book for someone who has a loved one with cancer.  There are several Inspirational stories of people who were diagnosed and how they coped with the disease. Most of the stories are stories of survival. Some stories will make you laugh and some will make you cry. I would recommend this book to anyone whose loved one was just diagnosed or how is living with cancer. I wish I would have had this book when my uncle was diagnosed and subsequently died of the disease back in 2003.

About the Author:     Cecil Murphey is an international speaker and bestselling author who has written more than 100 books, including the New York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper). No stranger himself to loss and grieving, Cecil has served as a pastor and hospital chaplain for many years, and through his ministry and books he has brought hope and encouragement to countless people around the world. For more information, visithttp://www.themanbehindthewords.com/.       Something Extra!     Cec designed the appendix to be the most practical part of the book. He's witnessed too many situations where genuinely caring people had no idea what to do, so he has tried to givea few general guidelines.  1. Before you offer help. Learn about the disease before you visit. Determine to accept their feelings, no matter how negative. Pray for your loved one before you visit. Don't throw religious slogans at them, such as, "This is God's will" or "God knew you were strong enough to handle this."  2. What you can do now. As the first question, don't ask, "How are you?" Instead, ask, "Do you feel like talking." Don't offer advice. Be willing to sit in silence. If you need to cry, do so. Be natural. If appropriate, hug your loved one. Human touch is powerful.  3. Long-term caregiving. The overarching principle is to let the seriousness of the disease determine the amount of time and commitment you offer. This can be a time for you to help them spiritually. Think about tangible things you can do that say you care. Plan celebrations for every anniversary of being cancer free.  Ask them reflective questions such as: What have you discovered about yourself through this experience? What have you learned about relationships? How has your faith in God changed?

Thursday Thunks

Welcome to the July 30th version of Thursday Thunks!

(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by

Kimber, the number 14 and the color of life. (2 questions by Ber, figure out which 2.)

1. You are in an enclosed space with a group of friends. Elevator, auto, small room, etc.. You fart and it really stinks. Do you take credit for it or do you play along with the questioning of who did it? Play along in questioning who did it

2. You are locked in a room sitting at a desk with just a piece of paper and a purple crayon. What do you draw? a car or my a dog.

3. Do you ever pee in the shower? No, thats disgusting

4. Have you bought, sold or got rid of something on Craigslist? No, never been to the site

5. You are in a convenience store. In the line in front of you is a drunk guy trying to purchase more alcohol. The cashier tells him they cannot sell it to him because he is obviously already intoxicated. He gets belligerent. The cashier is scared. What do you do? Walk out the store and call the cops.

6. While shopping for produce, do you "sample" before you buy (i.e. grapes)? No, you should buy first

7. You are walking down the street and there is a toddler sitting on a bench by themselves in front of a store - do you just keep walking? No, I ask where is your parent.

8. Have you looked up an old friend and/or lover online? No, they have found me through facebook. I have two exes on there lol

9. You are nearly in a car/auto accident. Do you freak out, follow the person who nearly caused it & talk to them or just keep going? I would give finger and them drive off

Wonderous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion where we share new (to us) words

The words I got this week were from THE BIRTH OF BRITAIN by Winston Churchill

1. heptarchy- the supposd confederacy of seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms

2. amalgamated- to join together into one; unit; combine

3. truculent- fierce; cruel; savage; ferocious

4. pedantic- a person who unnecessary stress on minor or trivial points of learning, displaying a scholarship lacking in judgement or sense of proportion.

5. suzerainty- a position or power of a suzeran

6. schiltrons- is a group of soldiers wielding outward pointing pikes or other pole arms, to ward of calvary attacks.

7. obdurate- unmoved by persuasion, pity , or tender feelings , stubborn unyielding

8. guerdon- a reward, recompense, or requital

9. ebullitions- a seething or overflowing , as of passion or feeling; outburst

What words did you find this week?

Movie Review: THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

Product Description:
A family vacationing in morocco accidentally stumble on to an assassination plot and the conspirators are determined to prevent them from interfering. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 02/07/2006 Starring: James Stewart Run time: 120 minutes Rating: Pg

My Review:
James Stewart and Doris Day were surperb in this movie. Doris Day's signature song Que Sera Sera was lovely. The plot of the movie kept you on the edge of your seats. This is a remake of an earlier Hitchcock film and it is said to be better than the original which is rare.

The Scenery was good I like how they had a nice backdrop of Morroco, even though in car scenes you can see that they were in the studio but that is typical fifties style. The wardrobes were lovely.

I would say this is my second favorite Hitchcock film of the ones I have seen so far.

I rate this 5/5

Movie Review: Spellbound

Product Description:

Dr. Constance Petersen (Ingrid Bergman) is a psychiatrist with a firm understanding of human nature-or so she thinks. When the mysterious Dr. Anthony Edwardes (Gregory Peck) becomes the new chief of staff at her institution, the bookish and detached Constance plummets into a whirlwind of tangled identities and feverish psychoanalysis, where the greatest risk is to fall in love. A transcendent love story replete with taut excitement and startling imagery, Spellbound is classic Hitchcock, featuring stunning performances, an Academy Award(r)-winning score by Miklos Rozsa, and a captivating dream sequence by Surrealist icon Salvador Dali.


My Review:

The acting in this movie was great. Ingrid Bergman, who played Dr. Peterson, was wonderful in her role. They way she demonstrated knowledge and poise of what her character was thinking and feeling was marvelous. Gregory Peck who played Dr. Edwardes was a great lead actor, he kind of reminds me lookswise of Anthony Perkins and the way his eyes stayed in a fixed stare when he was going through his delusions were so creepy. The other support actors and actress were a good assest to the movie.

The direction of course was great because I feel Alfred Hitchcock does not make a bad movie. The itself kept you on your toes and focused on the screen. Just when you think you know what happened, Hitchcock surprises you.

I give this movie 4/5.

Movie Review: Gacy

Product Description:
John Wayne Gacy was a model citizen that often voluntered as a clown for the children at the local hospital. Shockingly, he kept a gruesome secret. A trail of missing young men led to Gacy's suburbon Chicago home. The nation watched in horror as, one by one, the details of over 30 murders came to light. Soon the bodies of the victims were discovered entombed in the crawl space under his house. Based on a true story one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. "Gacy" will leave you shocked and in disbelief.

My Review:

The actor, Mark Holton who played Gacy did a good job of portraying a seemingly normal yet scary version of Gacy. The script he was working with was not good. The movie seemed to focus on the smells under his house , his homesexuality and the fact that he owed a lot of people money. The showed him picking up a lot of boys. The murders in the movie weren't as creepy as the maggots and bugs under the house.

Like most of the serial killer movies the scenes were choppy and cheesy. The movie only glossed over what he did. I much rather know why he did what he did. The movie seemed to think it had something to do with his father beating him on a trip and calling him a sissy.

Overall, I rate this movie a 3/5, Its watchable but very vague.

Tuesday Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's Teaser is from The Birth of Britian by Winston Churchill

A convoy of four hundred wagons was bringing to the front the herrings indispensable to the English army during Lent. The were suddenly attacked on the road.(pg350)

What is your teaser?

What are your Reading Mondays

The is a weekly meme hosted by J-Kaye

This is what I completed last week:

1. It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina (Reviewed)

2. Undiscovered Gyrl by Alison Burnett (Reviewed)

3. Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper (Reviewed)

What I am currently reading:

1.Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig (442 of 498)

2. The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill (218 of 421)

3. The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton (92 of 303)

4. The White Queen by Phillippa Gregory (172 of 408)

5. The Fruit of her Hands The Story Shira of Ashkenaz by Michelle Cameron ( 165 of 427)

6. Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant (82 of 402)

What I hope to Start this week:

The Brothers Karamazov by Fydor Dovesky

What are you reading this week?

Mail Box Mondays

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page

This week I recieved:

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER by Jennifer Weiner (2 copies from Simon and Schuster) I will give one away have not decided how any suggestions?




Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That's what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they're both nine years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her school's scapegoat.
Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents' house in their small hometown of Pleasant Ridge, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She's just returned from Bad Date #6 when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, a terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. "Something horrible has happened," Val tells Addie, "and you're the only one who can help."
Best Friends Forever is a grand, hilarious, edge-of-your-seat adventure; a story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and small-town secrets. It's about living through tragedy, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends together.

SMALL SACRIFICES by Ann Rule (Booksamillion.com)




This searching analysis of the shooting of three children in Oregon by their mother devolves into a study of personality. In May of 1983, Diane Downs drove to a Williamette Valley hospital emergency room with her children, all gravely wounded; one did not survive the first hour, and the other two were disabled for life. Downs initially told of a "bushy-haired stranger" who had committed the crime, but frequently changed her story. Under police questioning she recalled her childhood with a cold, domineering father who abused her sexually, her weak mother, a rape by one of her bosses, her failed marriage and many men with whom she had sex. One of these men, whom she claimed to love, did not want children, and that may have prompted the crime, speculates the author. The greatest strength of this book is the exploration by ex-policewoman Rule (The Stranger Beside Me of the aberrant personality of Downs, who is now imprisoned and not eligible for parole until 2009. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc

AN ARTIST IN TREASON The Extraordinary Double Life of General James Wilkinson by Andro Linklater (ARC) Shelf Awarness





The first modern biography of the greatest traitor—and one of the most colorful characters—in American history.
Patriot, traitor, general, spy: James Wilkinson was a consummate contradiction. Brilliant and precocious, at age twenty he was both the youngest general in the revolutionary Continental Army, and privy to the Conway cabal to oust Washington from command. He was Benedict Arnold’s aide, but the first to reveal Arnold’s infamous treachery. By thirty-eight, he was the senior general in the United States army—and had turned traitor himself.
Wilkinson’s audacious career as Agent 13 in the Spanish secret service while in command of American forces is all the more remarkable because it was anything but hidden. Though he betrayed America’s strategic secrets, sought to keep the new country from expanding beyond the Mississippi, and almost delivered Lewis and Clark’s expedition into Spanish hands, four presidents—Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison—turned a blind eye to his treachery. They gambled that Wilkinson—by turns charming and ruthless—would never betray the army itself and use it to overthrow our nascent democracy—a fate every other democracy in the Western hemisphere endured. The crucial test came in 1806, when at the last minute Wilkinson turned the army against Aaron Burr and foiled his conspiracy to break up the U nion.
A superb writer and superlative storyteller, Andro Linklater captures with brio Wilkinson’s charismatic ability to live a double life in public view. His saga shows, more clearly than any other, how fragile the young republic was and how its strength grew from the risks its leaders faced and the challenges they had to overcome.


What arrived in your mailbox this week?

Review of The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

This is the story of Michael Henchard , a man who in a drunken stupor sell his wife and daughter to a fisherman. Eighteen years later she comes backk and finds that he is a the Mayor of a town called Casterbridge. When she returens life begins to change for Michael. Why did she return? How does it affect him? You will have to read to find out.


This is an excellent novel and I look forward to read more by Mr. Hardy(I have already read Tess of D'Ubervilles). Mayor of Casterbridge is a great introduction to Hardy because it less dark than Tess of D'Urbervilles. His character development is very good he digs deep into the psyche of Mr. Henchard. I could easily say this is one of my favorite books.

Review of Princes in the Tower

This is the story of two princes, Edward V and his yourn ger brother Richard, Duke of York. Were they murdered? If so, who did it? Alison Weir seems to think that evidence points to Richard. She also thinks it was Edward IV's fault for dying young. She demonstrates this by stating " It was, however, Edward IV's faulure to envisage what the consequences would be to his kingdom and his heir if he were to die young and leave a minor on the throne that led directly to the tradgedy of the Princes in the Tower." Here is another passage: " But he had made one fatal mistake, he had failed to unify the rival factions in his kingdom, and by this omission had placed his sons, peaceful succession to the throne in jeopardy. He had also created two might power centres in his relam, the Wydvilles and the Duke of Gloucester, and the two were in opposition of each other."

She also states that the bones excavated in the tower were the bones of the tow princes and that medical forensics proves it. She states" The finding of the experts were in all cases consistent with the bones being those of the princes in the tower."

This book was an enjoyable read and I learned a lot. I would like to learn more about this mystery of the princes before I make my decision of if they were murderedand how. THere are two sides to this debate. Some say (Richard III Society)think that possibly Henry VII was responsible for the murder to move them out of the way so he would have no one to usurp him from the throne. I hope to form my opinion after reading material from both sides.

Tell me what you think. I am open to anyone's opinion.

Review of Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper

This is the story of Homer a small blind cat who came to live with the author. She tells the story of how she found him and how he taught her about life and love.

Imagine being blind then imagine how it feels for an animal. Your senses are heightened to accomodate for your disability. For cat who senses are already heightened imagine it was hypersensitive. This cat has never seen what it was like to see. He had to learn about the world in the dark. He had to learn through voices on whether the person likes you are not.


Ms. Cooper is a very likeable narrator she mixes humor with sadness and everything in between. You will find yourself falling in love with Homer and all her cats. Even people who do not like animals will fall for Homer after reading this book.

This book is very well written and straight from the heart. I would recommend this to any animal lover because it is truly and inspring story and its amazing what a little blind cat can teach you.

Review of Undiscovered Gyrl

My Summary and Review:

This is a story of a 17/18 your old girl who starts a blog about her life. She talks about the typical teenage things but she also has a darker side.

The blog format in which this book was written is very different from your usual novel style. I actually like it it made it more believable and real.

The Main character was not a likeable person in fact you start to hate here. She is the epitome of someone you would loathe. She was amoral, selfish and very hateful. She cared for no one but herself. Then after awhile as you learn more about her you start to pity her.


In the end I would recommend this book to an older teenager because I think it teaches a lesson. I think person should read this and discuss this with their teenage daughters.

I give this book a 4/5

Review of It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina

My Summary and Review:

It Happened in Italy is the story of Elizabeth Bettina's research on Holocaust survivors who were in concentration camps in Italy. Theres type of camps were very different from the the "death" camps the most of us have heard of. The Italian camps were more detainment camps where the Jewish people were allowed to carron their normal lives with the confines of the camp. In here research she comes in contact with families that were saved under Giovanni Palatucci who was murder/marytred for what he did to save them. He is was refered to as the "Italian Schindler" because he saved so many Jews for certain death in the camps such as Auschwitz. Each of the storytellers have their own stories and some of them intertwine.

My thoughts on the book were of sadness and yet I found their stories inspirational. I learned that some Italians saves some of the Jews for the the Nazi while others did not. The journey the author took in this book took her back to the homeland of her relatives who traveled to America several years before. Along with her on this journey were some of the survivors of the Holocaust who were in Italy at the time. The stories were so vivid that you felt like you were their with them along with the pictures that helped to enhance the visual.

The appendices provide gave you insight into what life was like and their or list for see if your relatives were saved under Palatucci.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants like to see stories of inspiration and hope despite being persecuted by the Nazis. It has a lot of positive stories. Most of us when reading material about the Holocaust her stories of sadness but this is not the case with this book.

Friday 56

Rules:* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.* Turn to page 56.* Find the fifth sentence.* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Storytime with Tonya and Friends here or at http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Todays installment comes from THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I do not know how it is now, but in my childhood I often saw thses "possessed" women in the villages and monasteries.

What is your closest book and teaser for today

Thursday Thunks

Welcome to the July 23rd version of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by
Berleen, the number 22 and the color of the last road kill you saw.

1. You walk into a store and the cashier is being held up by a robber. The robber's accomplice is dead on the floor at your feet with a shotgun laying next to him. The robber does not see you, but the cashier does - what do you do? Call the police from my cellphone outside the store

2. We go to an ice cream shop for an ice cream cone. You say you are buying and I am going to stay in the car. You ask me what I want and I say "surprise me", what kind of ice cream cone am I going to get? Strawberry Ice Cream or reeses sundae

3. You have a dream that your co-worker, friend or whoever is hit by a garbage truck after they back into a ladder with a black cat on it. The next day you see that person standing by a ladder with a black cat on it and there is a garbage truck driving down the road.... what do you do? Nothing, I am not superstitious

4. What is the most money you've won on a lottery or scratch off ticket? I never played.

5. A neighbor kid down the street comes to your door and offers to wash all of your windows outside for $10 - do you have him do it? No, cause its too dangerous and I don't want anything to happen to him.

6. Go to Google Images. Type in the name of the last movie you saw. Post the first picture that comes up.

7. Your local animal shelter calls you and says there are 3 dogs that need an immediate foster home for 3 days. If you do not accept, the dogs are put down that day. Do you take them in?

Yes, I am a sucker for animals plus I work at a shelter that is non-kill

8. What is the messiest room in your home?

My office or my bedroom.

9. Have you ever been to a wedding that participated in a strange tradition that you had never heard of? No.

10. Name one sport that you just don't get. One sport I don't get is rugby

11. What was the last email that came into your inbox about? Sims 3 challenges

12. Have you ever purchased anything from a sex shop? Extra points if you tell us what it was....

No

13. Go back to that Google Images link... type in the last food item that you ate. Post the 2nd picture it comes up with.

14. Got any bumper stickers on your vehicle? What are they? No, I don't have any.

15. What meme question do you wish was never asked again? I am not sure. I kind of like them all but this question would have to be the one lol

Berleen & Kimber wanted to thank all you Thunkers for playing!

Wondorous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion where we share new (to us) words

I have encountered several words from several different books I have been reading this week

Rhett Butler's People

1. anhinga- a long- necked birds have a sharp, pointed bill and inhabiting swampy regions of tropical and subtropical America

2.jacquard- a fabric with an intricately woven pattern

3. anthracite- a hard natural coal that burns slowly and gives intense heat

4. skiff- a flat bottom or shallow draft, haring a pointed bow and a aquare stern and propelled by oars, sail or motor

5. gelding- a castrated animal, especially a male horse

6.punctilousness- attentiveness to detail

7. flibbergibbet- a silly, scatterbrained, or gurrulous person

8. tureens- a broad, deep, usually covered dish for serving foods such as soups or stews

Homer's Odyssesy

1.flummoxed - to confuse, perplex

The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton

1. laconically- using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise

2. arrears- an unpaid, overdue debt or an unfulfilled obligation

3. fatuity- smug stupidity; utter foolishness

4. benumbing- to make numb; especially by cold

5. efficacious- producing or capable of producing a desired effect

6.portmanteau- a large leather suitcase than opens into two hinged compartments

7. coign- an external solid angle of a wall or the like

8. portentous- ominously siginficant or indicative marvelous; amazing prodigious

9. compunction- a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain

10. confabulation- act of concersing informally, chat

11. colloquay- a conversational exchange; dialogue

12. magnanimity- generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness

13. circumlocutions- a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea

14. garrulous- excessively talkative in a rambling, round about manner esp. about trivial matters

What interesting words have you found this week.

Tuesday Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's Post comes from The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton

"And I suppose, poor ineffectual demon, that's why it beats its beautiful wings in vain in the void," Mary had laughingly concluded. (pg 62)

Mailbox Mondays (3 Mondays worth)

Well the picture link won't work right now so I am going to type out what I recieve over the past 3 weeks.

From Epic Rat:

The Last Queen by C. W Gortner

Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland
From Shelf Awarness:

Across the Pond by Storyheart
The Rapture by Liz Jensen
South of Broad by Pat Conroy
The Day The Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Invention of Everything Else by Samanth Hunt

From Borders:

The Conquerors by Michel Beschloss
Hit and Run by Lurlene McDaniel
True Crime The Infamous Villains of Modern History and their Hideous Crimes by Martin Fido and David Southwell
A Passage of India by E. M. Forester

From Booksamillion.com

Too Late to Say Goodbye by Anne Rule
A Tale of Cities by Charles Dickens
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens

From Novel Noise for a Blog Tour:

No Mad by Sam Mouffie

From Pump of Your Promotion:

When Someone You Love Has Cancer by Cecil Murphy


From Library Thing Member Giveaway:

Fires of the Faithful by Naomi Kritzer
Turning the Storm by Naomi Kritzer

What are you reading Mondays

This is a weekly meme hosted by J-kaye.

What I completed Last week:
When Someone You Love has Cancer by Cecil Murphy


What I am currently reading: (Brace Yourselves its a lot. I have goals for this month)
Ghosts Stories by Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton (pg 56 of 303)
Homer's Oddssey by Gwen Cooper (pg 60 of 283)
The Fruit of Her Hands by Michelle Cameron ( pg 155 of 427)
It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth of Bettina (pg 92 of 327)
The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill (pg 205 of 421)
The White Queen by Phillippa Gregory (pg114 of 408)
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant (pg 82 of 404)
Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett (pg 146 of 293)
Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig (pg 51 of498)

What I hope to start this week:

None, I hope to complete some of the above books.

Friday 56

Rules:* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.* Turn to page 56.* Find the fifth sentence.* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Storytime with Tonya and Friends here or at http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Todays entry comes from THE GHOST STORIES OF EDITH WHARTON by Edith Wharton

I finally asked, still disquieted by a sense of incompleteness, by the need of some connecting thread between the parallel lines of the tale.


Look forward to hearing from you and what you have read.

Thursday Tea

Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book is hosting a weekly event titled: Thursday Tea. She writes:
To play along, all you need is some tea, a book, and the will to answer some very simple questions: what tea are you drinking (and do you like it)? What book are you reading (and do you like it)? Tell us a little about your tea and your book, and whether or not the two go together.

The tea: Celestial Season Cinnamon Apple Tea

The Book: Rhett Butler's People

The tea and the book are fairly good. The part of the book I am at is Rhett's life before he met Ms. O'Hare. So I have relaxing tea and a nice Southern read. What tea are you drinking and what book are you reading?

Thursday Thunks

Welcome to the July 16th version of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by
Kimber, the number 15 and the color of windows.

1. Do you know anyone with heterochromia? Does it freak you out or do you think it's interesting? No I don't know anyone with it but I do think its interesting not freaky and by the way the cat in the pic looks like mine be he does not heterochromia.

2. Should a 5th face be added to Mount Rushmore? If so, who? No, I think its fine the way it is.

3. If you could live on any planet other than earth, which one would you choose and why? Venus because its similar to earth in atomosphere.

4. We're going to spend the night at a reportedly haunted location, are you going with us?If so, which reportedly haunted place are we going? Yes, I would love to go and I would love to go to the Lizzie Borden House

5. Did you play The Queen's Meme this week? If so, was it fair of The Queen to put Berleen in the dungeon by association with Kimber? (We all know Kimber deserved it, but Berleen?!)
No, I did not play it I have been away so I am catching up.

6. What color is the towel(s) hanging in your bathroom? Green

7. Tell us something funny that happened to you recently.
Nothing funny has happened to me recently

8. We just bought you a cow. Do you kill it & grill it, feed it & milk it, or sell it? Sell it

9. It's 115 degrees outside (46 degrees Celsius), are you able to go without Air Conditioning? No, I don't think anyone can.

10. When you visit the zoo do you wonder which animal tastes better with a bit of butter & spices? No, that is the last thing on my mind

11. Dog ate your homework/work papers. Does it crap out Shakespeare, quantum physics, or just crap? Crap but I wish it would crap out the other things so I would not have to re-write it lol

12. We are taking you to a broadway show, what are we going to see? Dreamgirls or The Color Purple
13. Gunshots in your neighborhood. Pop, pop, pop. Do you go out to take a look, or hide?
I would get down would not want to be caught in the crossfire.


Berleen & Kimber wanted to thank all you Thunkers for playing! This is rapidly becoming a very popular meme...you all love us, you really really love us! When we started Thursday Thunks, there was 3-4 usually a week. We try to read and comment on each Thunker each week. As a work at home mom and a stay at home/homeschooling mom, we don't always have the time. Life tends to get in the way. We do want you to know we love and appreciate your participation!!! If we don't get a chance to comment, don't be upset. Please try to visit at least a few fellow Thunkers each week. People like it when you visit. But hey... if you really miss us you can always join us over at the InsanityCafe Community & Forums. It's a small online community that offers some sanity to our strange world. And hey... you think Thursday Thunks is weird? You ain't seen nothing yet! (and we hand out free meds!)

Wonderous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.

Today's words come from THE BIRTH OF BRITAIN by Winston Churchill

1. thanage- the tenure by which lands were held by a thane

2. caitiff- a base, despicable person

3. fetters- a chain or shackle placed on the feet

4. avarice- insatiable greed for riches; inordinate miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth

5. fealty- the obligation or the engagement to be faithful to a lord.

Tuesday Teasers

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's teaser is from: WHEN SOMEONE YOU LOVE HAS CANCER by Cecil Murphey

The doctor walked into the room, and his shoulders slumped. First he stared at her, then at the walls, and finally at his feet.

That is my teaser for the week. What's yours? This also a book from a booktour that I am hosting at the end of this month. Stay tuned!!!!

What are you reading on Mondays

This weekly meme is created by J-kaye and the web address in on the picture above. I have not read much since I was on vacation since my husband is in the states for Rest and Relaxation I did manage to complete on book but it was a short story.

What I completed this week:
The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe

What I am reading this week:
The Fruit of Her Hands by Michelle Cameron
The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
MiddleMarch by George Eliot
The Winter Queen by Phillipa Gregory
The Lost Princess of Oz by Frank Baum

I will not start anymore books this week I want to complete most of these before I start anything else. The one I know I will complete this week isn The Lost Princess of Oz by Frank Baum. The others are considered chunksters.

What are you reading this week?

Sorry I have been away

Sorry I have been away from my blog I have been on Vacation and I wont be in town till Tuesday. I will return to my regular blog schedule and review posting by Wednesday. I feel like a bad blogger but its hard when you have limited internet access.

Movie Review- Psycho

Summary from Amazon.com:
For all the slasher pictures that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn for one fateful night.

My Review:

I have seen this movie about 5 times in the past 2 weeks. I love this movie. No one can capture the spirit of a true psychopath than Anthony Perkins. His character is what movies of that genre aspire to be. In the early 2000's, They did a remake of this movie but it never captured the essence of this film. Janet Leigh as the character of Marian Crane was a class act no one can do a death scene like her.

The movie is shot in black and white and it makes it all the more creepier than if it had been shot in color and the infamous music is a classic.

This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies so far of the movies I have seen this one is my favorite and I would recommend it to anyone.

I rate this movie 5/5

Friday 56

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Storytime with Tonya and Friends here or at http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Today's passage is from The Rapture by Liz Jensen:

"It's the first time I've worn it."

The fact is, I feel Fruadulent, undignified, and inappropriate: a nonwoman pretending to be a real one.

June Wrap-up post

This month I completed a record number of books for me. This is because I did a 48 hour marathon. Here are my totals:
Number of books read 19
Number of books reviewed: 16

My challenge totals are:
Southern Reading 2/3
A Visit to Oz 3/6
Summer Reading Challenge 2/18
Cozy Mystery Challenge 3/6
Non-fiction Five 2/5
Four Month Challenge 115/250
A-Z Challenge 32/52
Jean Plaidy Challenge 0

Thursday Thunks

Welcome to the July 2nd version of Thursday Thunks!

(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by

Kimber, the number 14 and the color of your mother's hair dye.

1. When you close a door, do you close it quick and just let it slam or do you hold the knob and slowly shut it tight? Hold the door and shut it tight

2.Train A is moving at 60 miles an hour. Train B is moving at 22 miles an hour. They will pass each other at X time. Now what color shoes are you wearing when train A derails? I don't know probably will be white

3. What if M&M's grew on trees? What color M&M tree would you have? Green

4. How many petals on a flower does it take to make it the perfect bloom? I am not sure but I guess 6

5. I took you to spend $421.67 on you, what did we spend that money on? I would pay some bills and used the leftover money for food and books

6. If you were a squash, what type of squash would you be? yellow squash

7. Have you ever gotten a wrong number call and ended up talking to the person for longer than 5 minutes? No

8. Why haven't you joined Berleen & Kimber at Insanity Cafe yet? Do we stink? Never heard of it

9. Now for one of Ber's questions back when TT was brand new... Shampoo bottles say lather, rinse, repeat... do you? Yes

10. It's July, the year is half over. Do you see it as "whew that part is over" or best is yet to come? Whew that part is over

11. Why do you do the Thursday Thunks meme? Cause its fun.

Berleen & Kimber wanted to thank all you Thunkers for playing! We had 61 last week (not including us), and this is rapidly becoming a very popular meme. When we started Thursday Thunks, there was 3-4 usually a week. We try to read and comment on each Thunker each week. As a work at home mom and a stay at home/homeschooling mom, we don't always have the time. Life tends to get in the way. We do want you to know we love and appreciate your participation!!! If we don't get a chance to comment, don't be upset.